Children’s underwear, Jefferson Lewis’ shirt found as search for missing Sharon Granite grows desperate

A pair of children’s underwear believed to be Sharon Granites’ and a shirt worn by her suspected abductor have been found, police have revealed, as the search for the Alice Springs girl grows increasingly desperate.

The five-year-old has been missing since Saturday night, when she was put to bed some time before 11pm at a house in the Old Timers Camp where she and her mother had been visiting.

She was last seen nearby holding hands with Jefferson Lewis at 11.30pm with police today confirming they believe he led the little girl away from the camp.
Sharon Granites, five, was last seen hand-in-hand with Jefferson Lewis late on Saturday night. (Supplied)
Police continue to scour the house where Sharon Granites was staying in Old Timers camp when she disappeared. (9News)

Lewis had been released from jail just six days earlier, charged for violent offences including assault and domestic violence.

Police found the items of clothing on the riverbank at the back of the Old Timers Camp where Sharon was last seen on Sunday, but have only just revealed their findings.

Northern Territory Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Malley said the shirt found by police is Lewis’ “distinctive” yellow and black shirt captured on police bodycam footage when officers visited the Old Timers Camp earlier on Saturday for an unrelated mental health call out.

A doona cover was also found alongside the shirt and children’s underwear.

Malley said the possibility that Sharon had been allegedly sexually assaulted was “certainly on the table”.

The items of clothing and the doona have been sent away for forensic examination, with the findings expected tomorrow.
Jefferson Lewis was captured by police bodycam wearing this distinctive yellow and black shirt earlier on Saturday night. It’s been found by police, alongside other items of clothing. (NT Police)

NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said Sharon’s family are “distressed” by the findings and is being supported by authorities.

“She is a very affectionate little girl loved by her family, so it’s just a horrible thing that they are going through at the moment,” he said in an update from Alice Springs this afternoon.

There have been no other confirmed sightings or traces of either Sharon or Jefferson Lewis since Sunday, which Malley described as “very unusual”.

This has prompted police to suspect that community members may be sheltering Lewis.

“There are people in the community who aren’t telling us what we need to hear, which is very frustrating when we believe that serious offences have been committed,” he said.

“When we do get him – and it’s only a matter of time – they could be in strife as well.”

Around 100 community members were assisting authorities in the massive search operation around Alice Springs today. (9News)

Despite this, police maintain that Sharon may yet be alive, saying she may have wandered away from Lewis and become lost in the bush.

“As time goes on, the chances of finding little Sharon alive reduce,” he said.

Around 100 community volunteers have now joined in the hunt for the little girl, now in its fourth day, assisted by helicopters and drones which are scouring the “rough” terrain.

“This man doesn’t have a telephone, he doesn’t have a bank account, he doesn’t have a car,” Malley said.

“We are going back to 1930s policing without that digital footprint… we are knocking on doors, we are going through houses.

“It is old-style policing and it is a hard slog.”
Authorities maintain hope that Sharon may still be alive, but say it’s imperative that she is found soon. (9News)

Lewis had previously worn an ankle monitor, police said, providing potential

The widening manhunt has also reached interstate, with Western Australian police contacting Lewis’ wife and children in Bolga, who police say are cooperating with authorities.

Malley called on anyone in the community with information about either Sharon or Lewis to contact authorities immediately.